Scans_Daily

Bringing the crack since December 2003

In which the game is stepped up.

Four scans from Mighty Avengers #32, which I have to say was my favourite issue of the series so far.

In the past I've found the series kind of middling, but this issue just clicked.

First, a scan of the team hanging out:

Cassie loses this contest, to the relief of straight women and gay men everywhere.

In the main plot, Norman is annoyed at how the Mighty Avengers keep getting favourable media coverage, at the same time as his regime is coming under increasing press scrutiny. When he gets word that the Absorbing Man has gotten loose in the Project Pegasus facility, he takes his team there to generate some good media. However, it was Loki who released the Absorbing Man, just as he created the MA to undermine Osborn, and now Loki (back in his Wanda guise) appears to the team and tells them about the emergency. Despite not trusting her, they decide they'd better do something about the threat anyway.

The two teams stand around making a few more jabs at each other, while the Absorbing Man finds the remnants of the Cosmic Cube inside the facility (this being a Dan Slott comic, we're told it's the one that shattered way back in Captain America #14, the end of the "Winter Soldier" arc; I like this for the additon reason that it at last can stop people from speculating that that Cube is still out there). Anyway, Creel is now uber-powerful ("Oh, you are royally @#$% now!").

One of the things I really liked about this issue was that Pym has finally stopped angsting so much and is just acting like a competent hero; I think Slott might have spent a bit too much time building up to that, but whatever. Also, the inking/colouring of Khoi Pham's art has gotten much, much better.

Poor John. Always the jingoistic meathead; though I suppose if he doesn't have that, he doesn't really have anything distinctive. I mean, if Guy Gardner wasn't an ass, he'd just be Hal Jordan with an awful haircut.

Slott has said in interviews that USAgent actually likes and respects Osborn for ending the Skrull invasion.

Isn't US Agent supposed to a little smarter than that? He should know about Osborn's past...

That's sort of like saying Sue liking and respecting Doom because he helped bring Valerie into the world. Granted, she's a little grateful, but there's a difference between being grateful and giving a villain your respect.

And given how Cap has saved the world hundreds of times, yet US Agent seems to give Cap nothing but disdain and insults after the Civil War, I'm a little confused on the logic here...

John's purpose is basically to be a paragon of mostly-unthinking obedience to the government; he was early-era Ultimate Cap before there was an Ultimate Cap. Since Osborn is acting all Iron Cheney, I can see it theoretically, though, as I've said, this might be taking it a bit far.

Extras

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